An Audience of Artists: Dada, Neo-Dada, and the Emergence of Abstract Expressionism
Catherine Craft
An Audience of Artists turns this time line for the postwar New York art world on its head, presenting a new pedigree for these artistic movements. Drawing on an array of previously unpublished material, Catherine Craft reveals that Neo-Dada, far from being a reaction to Abstract Expressionism, actually originated at the heart of that movement's concerns about viewers, originality, and artists' debts to the past and one another. Furthermore, she argues, the original Dada movement was not incompatible with Abstract Expressionism. In fact, Dada provided a vital historical reference for artists and critics seeking to come to terms with the radical departure from tradition that Abstract Expressionism seemed to represent.
Award History
0 wins · 1 total
| Award | Year | Result | Category / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PROSE Award for Art History and Criticism | 2012 | Honorable mention | Official source |
Experimental book profileGenerated by GPT-5.4 nano · may contain inaccuracies
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01 Central figures
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02 Central places
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- New York60%
03 Suggested argument
Neo-Dada originated at the heart of Abstract Expressionism’s concerns about viewers, originality, and artists’ debts to the past and one another, and Dada provided a vital historical reference for artists and critics confronting Abstract Expressionism’s break with tradition.
Model confidence 74%
04 Reading orientation
63 / 100 academicAcademic
An estimate of intended readership and scholarly apparatus—not quality or importance.
Confidence percentages are the model's own estimates. Profile confidence: 70%.